Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

At Your Service events - August and September

Published: 08 August, 2012

Find out more about all the latest on-trade events for August and September.

Chablis producers anticipate smaller harvest

Published: 03 August, 2012

Chablis producers are predicting the harvest could be down by around 20%, thanks to bad weather earlier in the growing season.

Geoffrey Dean: hits the spot in Languedoc-Roussillon

Published: 23 July, 2012

When La Revue de Vin de Fance, the esteemed French wine magazine, gave Foncalieu one of its coveted annual awards in Paris in January, the wine world sat up and took note. Les Vignobles Foncalieu, to give them their full name, was crowned French co-operative of the year, following in the footsteps of La Chablisienne in Chablis and Embres et Castelmaure in Corbieres. Twenty years after its formation as a union of co-operatives, the Languedoc-centred Foncalieu had won a most notable accolade.

Sancerre tops the appellation polls at Concours des Vins de Bourges

Published: 19 June, 2012

Sancerre leapt ahead as the top appellation at the ninth Concours des Vins de Bourges, winning a total of 12 gold medals.

Inter Beaujolais focuses on white Beaujolais at trade tasting

Published: 18 June, 2012

Inter Beaujolais will focus on white Beaujolais and older vintages at its trade and press tasting on June 26.

LIWF: Day Two, Live Blog

Published: 23 May, 2012

The events as they happen on day two of the London International Wine Fair at ExCel.

Jancis Robinson picks out lower alcohol, cooler climate and regional varieties as trends

Published: 21 May, 2012

Quality over quantity, celebrating wholesomeness, cutting down on oak and alcohol content, seeking out cooler climates and reintroducing regional varieties are just some of the trends in wine identified by Jancis Robinson MW.

Free Run launches its own French wine brand

Published: 18 May, 2012

Free Run Wines is launching its own French wine brand - Les Calades - to plug what it sees as a gap in the market.

Douglas Blyde: Behind the scenes in Istria, Croatia at the Piquentum Winery

Published: 01 May, 2012

A five-bolt lock pins the rust-coloured door to the hillside. Trees sprout above, just in leaf, their roots wrapping around, but unable to enter. Beneath, Dimitri Bre?evi?'s winery unravels, church-like in its proportions, verdegris mottling concrete walls and blood of Christ soundlessly maturing. Mightily built, this cavern was conceived as a water tank in 1928, converted for war shelter in the early 90s, and, just months ago, recognised as actually here by cartographers and authorities...

Oddbins matches London's mayoral candidates with wines

Published: 25 April, 2012

Oddbins, the 35-strong high street wine retailer, has selected seven wines that "sum up" each of the mayoral candidates.

Cracks show in en primeur with Latour's withdrawal

Published: 20 April, 2012

Despite assurances to the contrary, Château Latour's withdrawal from the en primeur system could be bad for business and threaten the traditional Bordeaux marketplace.

Les Vignobles de Foncalieu - coup for co-op

Published: 13 April, 2012

Southern French co-operative Les Vignobles de Foncalieu is witnessing a move to their own branded wines, above own label.

Stratford's refocuses on Old World Wines

Published: 12 April, 2012

Stratford's Wine Agencies' move back towards Old World wines and away from its New World stronghold has paid off, says managing director Paul Stratford.

Consumer engagement is key to French success

Published: 13 March, 2012

French wine brands should take a leaf out of the soft drinks or confectionery categories' books by thinking about what the consumer wants.

Blog: Anne Krebiehl meets Margaux's Paul Pontallier

Published: 22 February, 2012

Anne Krebiehl headed to a seminar tasting with Château Margaux managing director and winemaker Paul Pontallier.

Part two of indie merchants' Beaujolais blog

Published: 17 February, 2012

In the second blog from Harpers' Independent Buyers Trip to Beaujolais, run in conjunction with InterBeaujolais, we hear from a few more of the independent retailers who went out to the region.

International Gamay Competition winners announced

Published: 14 February, 2012

The second International Gamay Competition organised by Inter Beaujolais, has announced 169 medal winners.

Beaujolais whites a hit with independent retailers

Published: 13 February, 2012

Beaujolais' lesser-known whites are building up a following among independent wine merchants who praise the wines' "sensible prices", "food-friendly styles" and"consumer appeal".

Indie merchants blog from Beaujolais

Published: 10 February, 2012

Last week Harpers Wine & Spirit, in conjunction with InterBeaujolais, invited a handful of leading independent wine merchants to go out to Beaujolais and discover the wines for themselves.